Delhi: Taj Mansingh to become Covid-19 facility, five more hotels named

NEW DELHI:

Taj Mansingh hotel

, in the heart of Lutyens' Delhi, was on Tuesday attached by the Delhi government to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for turning it into a Covid-19 treatment centre. The hotel has been directed to place all its rooms at the disposal of the hospital. The Delhi government order said the step has been taken "in overall imminent public interest".


The hospital will carry out an inspection of the hotel on Wednesday and prepare for setting up the facility and training the staff, according to hospital sources. The hotel is apparently under renovation.

North-West district magistrate Sandeep Mishra has, meanwhile, issued an order attaching Hotel Crowne Plaza in Rohini to Fortis Hospital in Shalimar Bagh; City Park Hotel in Pitampura to Santom Hospital in Prashant Vihar; Hotel Ramada in Pitampura and Khosla Hospital in Shalimar Bagh to Max Hospital in Shalimar Bagh; Seven Seas Hotel in Rohini to Saroj Super Speciality Hospital in Rohini; and Hotel LA in Pitampura to Jaipur Golden Hospital, Rohini.

The order came on a day when chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, along with deputy CM Manish Sisodia, visited Suryaa Hotel. It is being converted into a dedicated Covid-19 facility which has been attached to

Holy Family Hospital

. He said the hotel will become operational for

Covid-19 patients

with 120 beds in the next couple of days. The capacity will be gradually ramped up to 250-300 beds.

Only those with moderate Covid-19 symptoms can be provided treatment at the hotels and the serious ones in need of ICU or ventilators would be shifted to the hospitals. The hospitals will arrange the medical facilities and equipment needed at the hotels. An official said that hospitals will provide training to the hotel staff, which will be responsible for services like housekeeping, disinfection and serving food to the patients.

A government official said that patients admitted to the attached hotels need to pay according to the tariff of the hospital while the hospital will pay per bed Rs 5,000 to five-star hotels, Rs 4,000 to four- and three-star hotels and Rs 2,000 to budget hotels.

In the case of Taj Mansingh, Ganga Ram will be disposing of the biomedical waste. The hotel staff will be provided all protective gear and given basic training by the hospital.

The ambulances for transferring patients would be provided by the hospital besides addressing any shortage of hotel staff. "The hospital may accommodate their doctors, nurses and other paramedical staff at its own expense after deciding the rates mutually," stated the attachment order.